Level Eater

As soon as Tatsuro confirmed Ennio's body was completely submerged in the mud, he used water magic to extract only the moisture and then solidified it further with a mixture of earth and darkness magic.

This would prevent Ennio from turning into mist and make blood manipulation challenging.

After solidifying the area around Ennio within about two meters, Tatsuro pushed it out onto the surface using earth magic. The plan was to approach when Ennio was on the brink of suffocation and use life magic.

However, as soon as the clump of earth containing Ennio surfaced, an eerie drilling sound reminiscent of a dentist's drill echoed.

By the time it emerged on the surface, the earth clump was already full of cracks, and it was on the verge of collapse.

"Uh-oh!" (Tatsuro)

"Leave it to me!" (Ai)

Ennio, using the hardened earth around him, solidified blood from his wounds and formed a spear with a spiral groove like a drill. He rapidly rotated it, reaching the point of internal destruction. With the spinning spear, Ennio charged at Tatsuro at a speed impossible for him to react to.

As Ennio approached, Ai deftly intercepted the attack with a tower shield made of iron and a large shield from a three-headed bull, layered one on top of the other. The iron shield couldn't withstand the force and was pierced through, but Ai, pouring her energy into the second shield derived from a magical creature, managed to withstand the charge for a moment.

At the moment when Ai completely halted Ennio's charge, the large shield shattered into tiny pieces as if completing its duty. However, this unexpected opportunity arose.

The fact that the interception took place right in front of Ennio's face worked in their favor. Small fragments of the shattered shield lodged into Ennio's eyes.

"Guaaah!?" (Ennio)

"I was aiming for this!" (Ai)

"Liar!" (Tatsuro)

Quickly switching to a gem sword, Ai poured all her energy into it and swiftly cut off the still-rotating horn. As it dropped, it turned back into a red liquid, staining the ground.

Meanwhile, Tatsuro attempted to use [Level Eater], but as soon as the blood spear was cut, it flew off diagonally, and the black sphere floated harmlessly through space.

"It seems it didn't work." (Tatsuro)

"What happened?" (Ai)

"I used [Level Eater] but I couldn't hit him." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, he's been moving around a lot; it's challenging." (Ai)

While discussing this, Ennio had completely recovered. This time, he used blood to create a thick armor.

As if to obstruct this, thick trees generated by Marikka and Yorn's tree magic protruded from the ground, lifting Ennio into the air. Cardina approached with [Dragon Wing Blade] but Ennio dodged by using [Air Walk]

Even the [Dragon Horn Spear Blades] released by Jeanne on the ground were evaded by zigzagging through the air six times.

"He's leveled up his skills since the time he was a beast man." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, back then, even if he could do it, it was only a few times. Now it's seven or eight. Is this his limit?" (Ai)

"Or maybe he's getting stronger as time passes?" (Tatsuro)

"He seems to be getting more accustomed to that body over time. Oh, he's coming this way again!" (Ai)

As Ai predicted, Ennio, dodging Marikka and Yorn's tree magic attacks, covered his entire body with a thick armor of blood and charged directly at them. Following this, Cardina dropped clumps of earth from the sky like carpet bombing, but the blood armor easily protected Ennio from everything.

Despite Jeanne's fast pace, Ennio, with superior speed, caught up with them.

Jeanne, despite her massive size, struggled to keep up with Ennio's incredible speed.

"Haaaah!" (Ai)

"Guaaah!" (Ennio)

Ai and Ennio simultaneously raised spirited cries, exchanging attacks at close range. Ai brought out one of the bullhead spoils, a large spear, and swung it in a circular motion to brush off the thorny tentacles extending from the blood armor. With her other hand, she aimed the jewel sword's blade at Ennio's face.

Dodging the attack by twisting his head, Ennio retaliated with a slashing strike from his right front paw as if returning the favor. Amid this intense close-quarter combat, Tatsuro enhanced his magical abilities with light, granting speed boosts to Cardina and Jeanne, who had caught up. He, in turn, manipulated a red light sphere to provide laser support.

With the augmented speed from the magical boost, Cardina and Jeanne managed to keep up with Ennio's attacks and supported Ai. Meanwhile, Marikka and her companions used tree magic to defend against Ennio's assaults, providing valuable assistance against the blood thorn tentacles.

Despite the combined efforts of the six, Ennio manipulated blood to counter their attacks effectively. However, even with his constant focus and dedication, fatigue accumulated rapidly, causing his movements to become erratic.

Seizing the opportunity, Ai guided Ennio to a favorable position, striking his head with the gem sword and sweeping his front leg with the giant spear.

"Tatsuro!" (Ai)

"I got it!" (Tatsuro)

Suffering from a concussion and losing balance, Ennio fell, exposing his left shoulder. Tatsuro, alternating with Ai, applied [Level Eater], which he had prepared in advance. Just as Ennio, revived from the concussion, was about to thrust his claws, Ai interchanged with Tatsuro, using the gem sword to intercept the attack.

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Level: 48

Skills: [Mist Form], [Bite Lv.8], [Scratch Lv.8]

[Claw Assault Lv.6], [Blood Manipulation Lv.8] [Hematopoiesis Lv.8]

[Body Strengthening Lv.6], [Air Walk Lv.8], [Unavailable]

[Unavailable], [Unavailable]

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("Unavailable"? What's this? Is it saying that [Level Eater] can't absorb certain skills?)

Tatsuro was intrigued by the unfamiliar entry and attempted to absorb the "Unavailable" skill. Although absorption was unsuccessful, he understood why the skill was marked as such.

(This is Ennio's skill from when he was a beast man. Since his body changed, he can't use it anymore, hence marked as "Unavailable"… So, skills marked as "Unavailable" are ones [Level Eater] can't touch.)

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Level: 48

Skills: [Mist Form], [Bite Lv.3], [Scratch Lv.3]

[Claw Assault Lv.3], [Blood Manipulation Lv.0] [Hematopoiesis Lv.8]

[Body Strengthening Lv.3], [Air Walk Lv.3], [Unavailable]

[Unavailable], [Unavailable]

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Since Tatsuro had no intention of killing Ennio, and in case things went well, he would be living with Marikka from now on. To avoid pitying him while he was weak at that time, he had weakened all skills except for the troublesome [Blood Manipulation].

By the time he swallowed the black sphere, the blood that had turned into weapons and armor burst out of Ennio's body, turning the area into a literal sea of blood. Blood overflowed from the wounds on both shoulders.

However, since he left [Hematopoiesis] at a high level, he wouldn't die immediately, but constantly creating blood likely consumed energy or magic power. So, eventually, he would run out of strength.

Anticipating this sudden inability to use skills, Ai, when Ennio was completely bewildered by an incomprehensible phenomenon and stopped moving entirely, took advantage of the boosted leg strength from [Body Strengthening] to circle around under Ennio's jaw. She attacked the vulnerable spot left exposed by the disappearance of the blood armor with a piercing uppercut.

"Gah──" (Ennio)

"Alright. He's completely unconscious!" (Ai)

"Yes…" (Tatsuro)

Tatsuro had intended to use life magic to gently induce sleep, but before he could do so, Ai forcefully put Ennio to sleep, causing Tatsuro to stop in his tracks. However, seeing Marikka also heading towards Ennio, he quickly ran over.

Using life magic, they provided first aid and deepened Ennio's slumber, finally creating a calm environment.

"Let's start by analyzing the situation in detail to increase the success rate." (Tatsuro)

"Understood." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Go for it, Tatsuro!" (Ai)

"Yeah." (Tatsuro)

Encouraged by Ai, who held a free hand, Tatsuro's motivation soared. Together with Cardina, they began unraveling the blood contract, a research result of Gregory.

It proved to be quite complex, and regular dispelling magic seemed insufficient. They incorporated light magic boosts midway, trying to tackle it all at once.

Gradually, they started understanding how Ennio had been bound. Initially, they extracted the magical power of the contract, liquefied it using their blood as a medium, and mixed it into the target's bloodstream. This process applies the contract at the cellular level, binding and tying it throughout the entire body.

Of course, during the process, they attempted to investigate whether there was a chance to revert Ennio to his original form, risking their last hope. However, after a thorough examination, it became clear that no matter where they looked, Ennio had transformed into a different entity, making it impossible.

Feeling disheartened but managing to pull through, they meticulously examined the overview and every internal part of the body where the contract was applied. Then, they prepared for a magical exchange therapy, swapping Gregory's magic with Marikka's, akin to blood transfusion therapy.

"Now, Marikka-san, please channel your magic according to my instructions." (Tatsuro)

"Sure. I got it." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Tatsuro gradually diminished Gregory's magic with dispelling magic and had Marikka pour her magic into specified locations to fill the gaps.

The exhausting process continued for several hours. They intermittently applied sleep magic to Ennio and finally completed the procedure. Afterward, they meticulously used dispelling magic to confirm that all the contract points were now activated by Marikka's magic, ensuring there were no flaws.

"I think we probably succeeded." (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, I feel the same way. So, can we wake him up now?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yes. But just to be safe, Marikka-san, please stay at a distance." (Tatsuro)

"What about Tatsuro-kun?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Tatsuro is fine; I'm with him!" (Ai)

"I see, I see." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Encouraged by Ai, who had demonstrated her prowess in the recent battle, Marikka stepped back.

Observing this, Tatsuro sent a signal with his eyes to Ai, then proceeded to awaken Ennio using life magic.

"Ngh… Gaaah~" (Ennio)

Ennio, as if waking up from a good sleep, let out a big yawn. Midway through, his eyes met with Tatsuro's.

Both of them tensed up, expecting an attack, but Ennio simply lay peacefully on the ground.

"Yeah, it seems like the contract is properly in place." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Even now, isn't it a bit late to wonder why Marikka-san didn't just make a contract normally?" (Tatsuro)

"That's impossible. There's a limit to the amount a Tamer can control unless they make a contract like Gregory's. Of course, the more powerful the controlled creature, the faster that capacity gets filled. So, I'm full to the brim with Yorn." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"I see." (Tatsuro)

While Ai nodded with admiration, Ennio yawned again.

There were mixed feelings about whether everything was okay, but seeing that Yorn was treated well and leaving him in Marikka's hands would not make the situation worse. With such thoughts in mind, Tatsuro tightly squeezed the hand he held with Ai.

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